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Indiana›Porter County

Shorewood ForestIN

A town in Indiana, home to 3,263 people.

What should you know before moving to Shorewood Forest?

Shorewood Forest’s standout strength is schools — its schools outperform 91% of the state's. At about $479K, a typical home costs 5.3 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. What counts against it is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Overall, that makes an A−, good for 184th of 585 in Indiana. That leaves it better than just over three quarters of U.S. towns. The town’s middle household income is $166,000, where Indiana’s towns sit at $71,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Only 26 of Indiana’s 1,096 towns score lower on cost of living.

Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24.

What makes Shorewood Forest stand out

Where Shorewood Forest beats most towns.

A growing town

Shorewood Forest has grown 12% from 2010 to 2020

2,708 counted in 2010 and 3,033 in 2020.

2,7082010
3,0332020

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts

How Shorewood Forest grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Shorewood Forest is from typical.

How grading works
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

Soldier Field and 94 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shorewood Forest. Close and well known come first.

All 158 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Soldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Indiana Dunes National Park: J. Crocker, Attribution · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Art Institute of Chicago: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0

Getting set up

Moving to Shorewood Forest: who provides what

Shorewood Forest is unincorporated, so Porter County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerNIPSCO22.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterIndiana American Water - NorthwestNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesPorter CountyPorter County provides services here
SchoolsUnion Township School CorporationWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Indiana you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections herePorter County Board of Elections & RegistrationPorter County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2026
ZIP code4638546385 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Shorewood Forest.

Shorewood Forest looks healthier within Indiana than nationally, sends most of its workers to Valparaiso and beyond and has household incomes well above the Indiana norm.

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A

Very low risk in Shorewood Forest, with inland flooding at the top

On expected storm and flood damage, Shorewood Forest sits below 90% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 43% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 28% to tornadoes.

10risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
10Very low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade A

The median household income in Shorewood Forest is higher than in most of Indiana or the rest of the country

Shorewood Forest has 121 jobs for its 1,289 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 31.4 minutes, against 24.1 across Indiana.

In Shorewood Forest, the average trip to work is 31 minutes. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 24, to 121. Among working residents here, 1.1% work locally. Half of commuters travel less than 11 miles.

1%work in town
Shorewood ForestIndiana townsU.S. towns
Median household income$166,000$71,000$80,000
Average trip to work31 minutes24 minutes25 minutes
Working residents who work in town1.1%11%8%
Below the poverty line8.6%10%9.6%

Where working residents work

In Shorewood Forest1%
Valparaiso13%
Merrillville8%
Hobart6%
Crown Point5%
11 mi
median commute distance
121
jobs based in Shorewood Forest
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

HealthB+

Fewer of Shorewood Forest’s adults feel lonely than in the typical Indiana or U.S. town

Within Indiana it is healthier than 87% of the 589 graded towns: much of Indiana scores lower on these measures. Its widest gap with Indiana is food insecurity: 8.7% of its 2,401 adults worry about having enough food, against 14.7% statewide.

Only 9 of the 589 Indiana towns we compare have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Shorewood Forest. In Shorewood Forest, 38% of adults have obesity. Of 32 CDC measures, Shorewood Forest beats the Indiana average on 14 and trails it on 3.

67%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
Shorewood ForestIndiana townsU.S. towns
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)28%32%33%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)15%18%17%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)12%17%14%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)82%80%79%
32 measures vs. Indiana
14 better15 too close to call3 worse
What stands outShorewood ForestIN
Fewer adults facing food insecurity8.7%14.7%
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth9.7%15.4%
More adults who have had cancer10.2%8.3%
St. Mary Medical Center
6.9 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
87th
percentile among IN towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Climate

Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Shorewood Forest’s year

The typical July afternoon high for Shorewood Forest comes to 83°F.

40″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter19–35°
Spring38–59°
Summer61–82°
Fall42–62°
Oct 25
typical first frost
Apr 22
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HousingCost of living grade C

Homes in Shorewood Forest sell for about $547K

The median property tax bill is $3,481, against $1,614 across Indiana, another input to its cost-of-living grade.

For households in Shorewood Forest, the share who live in a home they own is 99%.

$547Kmedian sale price
3
homes sold in September

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Shorewood Forest

15pages on Shorewood Forest
After high school

Colleges nearby

2 within 15 miles of the center of Shorewood Forest

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Shorewood Forest for work

Where Shorewood Forest’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

13% → Valparaiso Valparaiso 13% 8% → Merrillville Merrillville 8% 6% → Hobart Hobart 6% 5% → Crown Point Crown Point 5% 5% → Union Township Union Township 5% 5% → Portage Portage 5% Shorewood Forest · 1% stay
121jobs based in Shorewood Forest
1%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Shorewood Forest

Census-designated place in Indiana, United States

Shorewood Forest is a census-designated place (CDP) in Union Township, Porter County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The community centers on Lake Louise, an artificial water body. The population of the CDP was 3,033 at the 2020 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
2.2 sq mi
Elevation
722 ft

Questions about Shorewood Forest

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Shorewood Forest, IN a good place to live?

By most measures, yes. Shorewood Forest grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #184 of 585 in Indiana. It grades B+ for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.

Is Shorewood Forest, IN expensive?

The typical home is worth about $479,000, 86% above the Indiana typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.